Dolomites, Italy.
"The philosophy of BioSyn Genetics is to help humanity understand itself better through dinosaurs."
Lewis Dodgson, CEO of BioSyn, stood in front of the camera, delivering his speech for the corporate promotional film.
"We are dedicated to studying the ancient immune systems of dinosaurs, seeking out unique chemical compounds."
The key difference between BioSyn and the Primeval Organization lay in their status. BioSyn had been granted exclusive collection rights by the United Nations to contain and shelter dinosaurs scattered across the globe. The Primeval Organization, on the other hand, was more of a grassroots, self-initiated organization that had merely received official acknowledgment.
"I believe we can properly harness the power of genetics..."
The studio door swung open. Ramsay, BioSyn's Head of Communications, stood at the entrance, signaling to Dodgson with a look.
"Okay, let's wrap it up here. I'll leave the rest to you all, I have more important matters to attend to."
Dodgson left instructions for the production crew, stepped through the crowd to join Ramsay, and walked side by side with him toward the hangar.
"They've arrived?"
"Yes. Dr. Wu is waiting for you in the hangar."
"Excellent."
Stepping out of the brightly lit lobby, they entered the elevator. With a soft ding, Dodgson and Ramsay stepped into the strictly dark-toned hangar.
Four gray cargo containers were being loaded onto transport trucks, which lined up to head toward the heavy-duty freight elevators.
Before Dodgson could catch up, Dr. Henry Wu, who now wore his hair longer, walked over to meet them and immediately voiced his skepticism.
"What about the largest one?"
Dodgson answered without a second thought. "The financial cost required to capture it does not justify the potential returns. The personnel we sent out previously proved that point long ago."
Dodgson usually projected the persona of a mild, unassuming older man, but at this moment, his eyes burned with intensity, completely detached from his usual low-energy demeanor.
"And you separated them just because of that?"
Dr. Wu's face darkened. Dodgson's expression shifted slightly as well; in his impression, Dr. Wu wasn't the type to care so deeply about familial bonds between animals... Besides, did animals even possess a true concept of family?
"We will bring him here to reunite with his family sooner or later. But before that, we need to decode the secrets hidden within his genome."
As if trying to maintain his righteous image, Dodgson offered Dr. Wu a lofty promise, painting a grand picture of the future.
"Decode his genome? You don't even have a sample of his DNA! How do you expect to decode his genome?!"
Dr. Wu grew visibly agitated. He felt Dodgson was acting downright delusional. The man's logic was like telling a professional that because you watched them work, you suddenly understood their entire field.
In short, it was an amateur attempting to lecture an expert.
"That is exactly why we brought these dinosaurs back. As his direct kin, their genetic profiles are the closest match. Using the genome of one subspecies to map out another is a method we have successfully employed many times before, haven't we?"
Dr. Wu didn't reply. Based on the secrets he had previously uncovered, he couldn't guarantee that such conventional methods would apply to Carlo.
Furthermore, a genome was vast and unfathomable; the smallest discrepancy could result in entirely different biological traits. The two Giganotosaurus specimens that BioSyn had previously attempted to recreate displayed features that varied drastically from the Giganotosaurus of Jurassic World.
Seeing that Wu remained silent, Dodgson glanced at the bustling personnel around them, leaned in close, and whispered, "He is the most powerful creature on this planet. No living organism can take a full-scale barrage of human artillery completely unscathed, except him."
The first team sent to capture the Giganotosaurus had been completely wiped out, though that team's original objective had been to prevent the apex predator from being driven to extinction by poachers.
The team members' body cameras had accidentally captured footage of Carlo approaching those poachers. Combining that with the recorded gunfire, artillery blasts, the next day's news, and the complete annihilation of the poachers, it wasn't difficult to deduce Carlo's anomalous nature.
Dodgson had keenly picked up on this. The news reports had been intentionally vague, likely a deliberate cover-up by the Primeval Organization. While he didn't know what their ultimate goal was, Dodgson intended to create a brand-new "Carlo" before anyone else caught on.
Though, of course, that was an impossible feat.
Dr. Wu's expression changed slightly, yet he didn't appear particularly shocked.
"Excuse me."
As if struck by a sudden realization, he turned and walked briskly out of the hangar, heading straight for his laboratory.
"Don't forget about the locust project!"
Dodgson called out loudly after Dr. Wu's retreating back. Receiving no reply, he turned to Ramsay beside him and shrugged, his gesture conveying a silent 'that's just how scientists are.'
…
Dr. Wu pulled back his chair, booted up his computer, quickly entered his passcode, and opened a heavily secured folder.
On screen, the video showed the basement of the Lockwood Manor being compromised by toxic gas. Carlo lowered his massive head, drawing in a deep breath of the poison. As if finding it insufficient, he brought his own tail to his jaws and bit down viciously.
Immediately following that, he stood up without warning, unleashing a ferocious roar. The violent commotion instantly triggered the facility's emergency defense protocols...
Click.
Dr. Wu pressed the left mouse button, freezing the video.
"What on earth are you..."
When he had first watched the recordings, Dr. Wu had merely been astonished to see Carlo intently watching television and displaying facial expressions. But watching this specific segment pushed his reaction far beyond mere astonishment.
Whether it was the sudden shift in Carlo's aura or his self-harming behavior that violated all biological instincts, it made Dr. Wu question his entire understanding of life.
The creature's actions... looked exactly like it was triggering a specific mechanism.
Dodgson clearly didn't know about this yet. If he did, he would undoubtedly use far more ruthless, unscrupulous means to hunt down Carlo.
Dr. Wu exited the folder and added a secondary layer of encryption.
Until he could unearth the truth, he would keep Carlo's secret.
"Doctor, the blood samples from the Giganotosaurus have arrived. There are also four new neural implants that require your verification."
An assistant entered the lab, pushing a cart loaded with vials and testing equipment. Dr. Wu rose from his desk, moved the blood samples onto the rack on his workstation, and stared at the four neural implants, sinking into deep thought.
…
Katyusha woke from her deep slumber. Her vision was greeted by total darkness, save for a few small, square holes through which faint light filtered.
Beep—
Accompanied by a warning siren, the wall in front of her began to lower. A lush, vibrant forest materialized before her eyes, though the climate felt somewhat chilly.
Katyusha stood up on somewhat unsteady legs and stepped out of the enclosure. She quickly realized that three other enclosures were lined up directly to the right of hers. Karl, Kafka, and Giga Dad were all here.
So, where was their boss?
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